FOUR
At first, he's not sure what to do. We barely know each other. He's in a stranger's home and she's breaking down. I wouldn't blame him for feeling completely conflicted. I'd probably back away slowly.
"Sorry," I gasp out, "I didn't mean too…"
"Come and sit down," he stands motioning to his seat, "sit here and just breath, Bella."
I take his seat as he rushes to the kitchen sink, grabbing a glass on his way. I watch him fill it with water before returning beside me. He gently places his hand on my back rubbing in a soothing circle.
"Have some water," he says.
I take a sip before placing it on the counter beside me.
"Sorry. I shouldn't have…" I begin.
"Stop apologising to me," he shakes his head, "I came to make you feel better, not worse."
"You have. It was honestly just a moment," I say, "you're so kind. I can't begin to understand why you've given up your night for this."
"Because my mother would have my head if she ever learned I left a beautiful woman to feel low in a new city," he says, "she raised me right. You looked like you needed a friend earlier downstairs."
I manage to make a laugh emerge through the slowing tears.
"I'll make sure I leave a five-star rating with your mother," I say.
"Please do," he nods, "I might have a shot at favourite. Push Alice off her game."
The laughter escapes my mouth before I realise it. He's not even trying that had to cheer me up, but it's working like a charm.
"Want to talk about it?" He asks.
"Do you have a whole century?" I joke sipping some more water.
"You'll need more wine," he motions to my glass, "come on. I know a place we can go to. Always wallow with a friend at a bar, rather than your home alone."
"You want to take me out in public? Looking like this?" I motion to my body, "I'm not even wearing pants."
"I wasn't going to bring that up but since you did, I think the style suits you. And you look beautiful, Bella," his smile is enough to halt traffic
"Let me go get changed," I let him help me up from my chair at the counter, "I'll be a few seconds."
"I'll tidy up dinner," he motions to the kitchen, "take your time, angel."
Once my door is shut, I fling myself onto the bed like a clinging teen, my legs kicking in the air. Using a pillow, I muffle a quiet, conflicted squeal. Excitement to spend time with this man. Dread at the timing of it all.
Holy.
Shit.
"So, you come here often then?" I ask looking around the room.
"You're supposed to say that when we first meet. You know at the bar; you offer to buy me a drink. You seduce me, but I let you down by saying I'm dating someone," he rambles at me.
"Enough," I laugh holding up a hand, "I didn't mean for that to sound like a pickup line."
"I'll forgive you," he takes a swig of his beer watching me, "You could say I frequent this place. Management is great."
It's as if he's telling inside jokes, he can't wait for me to be in on. He had picked a quiet booth for us at the back of the bar. Since arriving I'd struggled to take my eyes off him. I'd studied each inch of his face, how his fingers wrap around his bottle, how his grin cocks up slightly on one side when I amuse him.
I've had two glasses of wine tonight but he's more intoxicating than any of the alcohol. I'm convinced it's possible to get drunk of a person.
"We're closing up soon, Cullen. I can wait around," the barmaid stands at our table smiling at him.
Oh, she is checking him out. Why do I hate that?
"We can go," I begin to grab my bag.
"No. It's fine," Edward stops me, "I'll close up, Linda. Just make sure the back door is locked on your way out."
"Huh?" I look at him confused.
"Have a good night, boss," she hands him a key before disappearing.
"Boss?" I raise an eyebrow, "this is your bar?"
"One of them," he smiles at me, "it's the most subtle of the bunch. Less grinding, more laid back."
"Wait how many..." I begin.
"Four," he answers, "the one Alice manages is more of an investment on my part. She picks the colour of the drapes and I handle the finances. I enjoy the hospitality business, so I decided to use the money my Father had aside for med school for business school and I purchased a bar. My birth parents set aside quiet the fortune for me and when they died it just sat there. My adoptive father added to it. This place was fairly run-down but I turned it around. It's well known for the cocktails and the theme nights. Emmett's ex designed the menu and she did a really good job. I hate that he let her go so easy."
"This was the business opportunity you mentioned before?" I looked around the room properly, inspecting it.
"Emmett was the muscle, Alice the design, I the brains. The finances to I guess," he sips his drink watching me react to it all, "I'm eyeing up a fourth location near Times Square."
"So, why not med school? You didn't want to be a doctor?" I ask.
"While I respect my father's footsteps, I don't think my feet would fit in them. I want to make my own path," he smiles at me, "New York tourism is massive, and our ideas are unique. This place is plain sure, but the bar Alice runs is… look. It's been open for just under a year and people come from all over the country for a night out there. It honestly belongs in Vegas."
"What makes it so special?" I raise an eyebrow.
"I'll take you," he says, "Friday night so you see the full picture."
"You are so slick," I laugh, "do you take all the women to your fancy bars?"
"Nope. You're the first in all honesty. Let me know if it's working and I'll do it more often," he motions to my empty glass, "refill? I can get you it on the house. I am pretty close with the management here."
"Oh really? I heard the owner is a bit of a tough ass," I smile handing him my glass.
"Why have you been checking it out?" He winks at me getting up.
He walks toward the bar and slowly I follow. The bar is something else. The style has a Gatsby feel with emerald green booths, dark wood and dull lighting. Chandeliers hang low with stunning flower displays across the bar top and on tables throughout. There's a karaoke machine by the bar. A pool table, couches and a spiral that leads to a rooftop. This place is all class and luxury. The perfect place to start a hens night, a pub crawl or a get together with friends after work.
"My dad screwed us all over. That's why I had that breakdown. You mentioned working with family," I say suddenly.
I slowly walk to the pool table, gently pushing the 8-ball towards another sitting nearby the hole. Both of them sink. Ironic.
"So, that's the phone call I caught earlier?" He asks from behind the bar.
"My brother, Zane. Our family has a bit of a profile at home. My father is known for mining and he had a heap of debt. His only way out was to throw us all under the bus without even warning us first. We have nothing now and I am stuck in a city where I know no one," I say picking at the cloth on the tabletop mindlessly.
"That's not true. You know me," he offers, "I'm sorry. Your father owed you an explanation."
"He hasn't even spoken to me. It's like I'm over here so I'm forgotten. Eventually, I would have gone to take from my savings account and found nothing there," I say, "all I wanted was to come here and study business. He wanted me to run his dumb company and I can't help but wonder if maybe I was going to be the fall guy in all of this. I never wanted it anyway."
"You still can do all of that, angel. You haven't failed yet so stop acting as if it's already over. Maybe you could use this as your fresh slate. Do you mind if I ask if you're okay? Do you have funds?" He is embarrassed by his own question.
"I have an everyday account with some money left over from my old job back home. I managed to nail down a job here at a cafe around the corner from my apartment. I already have my textbooks and four weeks of rent." I shrug, "maybe I could snake a second job in. I'm sure prostitution is booming here."
I'm joking, but he doesn't see the humour. He looks at me across the bar with concern.
"I'm so sorry," he shakes his head, "I wish I could do som…. why don't you work for me? Pour wine instead of coffee. Your hours will be flexible for school."
"I couldn't work for you. You have done enough," I shake my head, "and besides that would be weird. We just met. I don't need charity, Edward."
"Then work for Alice if it's too weird working directly for me," he says.
"I'd still be working for you," I roll my eyes.
"Yeah, but you would feel it less with Alice around. I'm sure she'd find you something," he shrugs, "the tips would beat your cafe job and you'd get a decent wage. I'll take you and if you like it I'll get her to figure it out. She owes me anyway. Last week I killed a spider for her."
"Well, thank god for Charlotte's Web," I smile at him, "I'll think about it. Is that good enough?"
"Certainly, I'll settle for think about it. But just know that if you come back with a no I'll need to take drastic measures," he warns.
"Like what?" I narrow my eyes at him.
"My brother lives above you. Directly. I confiscated his boom box because the woman who lived where you do, called the police on him six times. I could give it back,' he's so damn hot when he's playful.
"Does he take requests?" I tease.
"Oh, you're going to be tough to crack," I watch him laugh easily.
"I'm just still so confused as to why you're being so nice," I shake my head.
"Because we're friends now," he winks at me, pulling out two shot glasses, "come here."
Doing as I'm told I walk to the bar to stand across from him. He places a shot of vodka before me before taking up his own.
"To friendship," he offers.
"Friendship," I feel completely dazed by the kindness of this human.
I throw back my shot, relishing in the sting of the alcohol. He watches me amused.
"More?" He asks.
"God no," I laugh, "I'll be crawling home."
"Yeah. I Probably shouldn't too. I wouldn't want you taking advantage of me," he teases, "not when you admitted that you were checking out my ass."
"It was one time," I shout at him laughing.
"It's all it takes, baby," he holds his hands up in surrender, shaking his head.
"You saying you haven't looked at mine?" I'm feeling daring.
"I'm a gentleman," he nods yes as he speaks, "not at all."
I throw my head back laughing loudly, wholeheartedly. I've not laughed like this in years. He creates joy for the joyless.
"May I have another wine though?" I ask.
"I guess. It'll cost you though," he leans across the bar smiling at me.
His face is so close. I can smell the booze on his breath, mixed with a musky mint. The hint of his cologne is paradise. From my new vantage point, I can study the smile lines on his cheeks. I notice the outline of dimples, the length of his lashes, the barely-there dusting of a few freckles. My constellation of perfection.
"Name your price," I smile, "know that my family just went bankrupt."
"You won't need money. Make Friday night a date with me," he says, "ass staring and no pants allowed if I can push my limit."
"Pants will be required," I scoff, "but one date is definitely something I can pay. Provided I'm in the country still."
"You will be," he nods, "I'll drag you off the plane myself. You're staying."
"Why?"
"Because you have to prove you can do it alone. It's scary but fuck Bella. You've got it in you. Take it from someone who owns businesses," he speaks with complete passion, "oh and you have a date."
"I thought we were friends?" I quirk up an eyebrow.
"Oh, am I in the friendzone?" he gasps, feigning a rude shock.
"You've put me there all night," I laugh, "friends this, friends that."
"I was only saying that to be polite," he pours my wine, "I don't want to scare you off. Put me in the friendzone. I'll claw my way out, don't you worry."
I take the wine glass from him leaning across the bar, he grins down at me. He's thrown a towel over his shoulder putting him in bartender mode. Boy, is it sexy.
"Thanks for being a great friend," I whisper playfully.
"Challenge accepted, Angel," he tucks a stray strand of my dark hair behind my head chuckling.
Thanks so much for reading. Please review if you have the time.
Kindly,
L